All For Love
by iloveromance
Summary: A disturbing vision about Niles prompts Daphne to betray him, causing them to drift apart. But when another vision suggests that he may be in danger, she must risk her life to save him or lose him forever. Loosely based on "The First Temptation of Daphne"
1. Chapter 1

"_While I'm honored that you trust my opinions enough to want to see me outside the office, I find it rather unusual that you want to meet me here."_

"_Don't be ridiculous, Dr. Crane. It's perfectly safe."  
><em>

_"Well... All right. I suppose I am a little uncomfortable with the whole situation. This place isn't exactly a five star restaurant."  
><em>

_"Just relax! Come this way, Dr. Crane..."  
><em>

_"Dear God, what is this? Wait, what's happening? Why are you doing this to me? _

_Help! Someone please help-."_

Daphne woke with a start; her heart racing as she looked around the darkened bedroom. Beside her, Niles was sleeping peacefully.

Niles Crane... her husband. The man she loved with all her heart.

She smiled and reached over to cover him with the blanket, but something stopped her the moment she touched the fabric.

A flash went through her mind, conjuring up a most disturbing image; the one she'd just encountered in her sleep.

Or was it something else?

For two nights now, she'd had the same unsettling dream. And for two nights she'd been startled awake by it. Her first thought was to wake her sleeping husband. To

tell him about the horrible images that frightened her so. He was sure to take her in his arms and comfort her, making sure that she was safe. But when she looked at

him now, she thought better of it. Why bother him about something that was probably all in her head?

With a sigh, she settled herself back under the covers and closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep. But when it came, so did the unsettling visions. She tossed and

turned, unable to get them out of her mind. But still they came...

"_N-now... look... I don't know what kind of sick joke this is, but I think we should go somewhere and talk." _

"_We __**are**__ talking Dr. Crane."_

"_Um, yes. Right. But I mean __**really**__ talk. You seem to have some issues that we should discuss in further detail."  
><em>

_"You're the one with issues, Dr. Crane."  
><em>

_"I'm sorry. I'm not following."  
><em>

_"Since you aren't willing to help me, I'll just have to take matters into my own hands." _

"_What are you talking about?"  
><em>

_"Just trust me."  
><em>

_"Of course I'm willing to help you! After all, I am your therapist and anything you say to me is held in strictest confidence. You do understand that, don't you?"_

"_It's __**you**__ who doesn't understand, Dr. Crane." _

"_P-please... Don't hurt me! I-I mean, I'm not worried about myself but I have a wife and I hate to think of her being alone. I absolutely adore her. She's my whole life, so _

_please... I'm begging you..."  
><em>

Daphne bolted upright in bed, pain settling in her chest. She blinked back tears and looked at her husband, amazed that he could sleep so soundly. Afraid to go back

to sleep, she pulled the covers back and climbed out of bed.

Wearing her robe and slippers she padded downstairs. Perhaps a nice cup of tea would do her some good.

In the kitchen, her hand trembled as she quickly heated some water and made herself some tea. The hot liquid soothed her rattled insides, but did nothing to scare

away the frightening dreams...

Or were they visions?

God knows, she'd had enough of those in her lifetime. Some were ridiculous, some were scary and some were completely wonderful. She walked over to the shelf and

picked up the metal dragon, cradling it to her chest. Her heart warmed remembering the moment she'd discovered it. If only Roz knew what she'd done by giving Niles

the statue as a gift.

No sooner had her happy mood come; it disappeared, only to be overshadowed by the now hauntingly familiar images. She crept back up the stairs and into the

bedroom, relieved to find that Niles was still sleeping. There must be a way to help him.

Next to the bed she could see his Italian leather briefcase. If these visions were as real as they seemed, shouldn't she warn her husband of the possible danger? After

all, she loved him with all her heart.

Her heart beat madly as she reached for the briefcase but then pulled her hand away.

No. It was wrong to go through his patient files. For one thing, they were personal. Niles would be furious if he knew she'd betrayed his trust a second time.

Once was bad enough. She still felt an enormous amount of regret for taking Roz's advice to find a patient of Niles who was in love with him; and all out of

pure jealousy. But this was different.

Ever so quietly she reached into briefcase...


	2. Chapter 2

Niles woke earlier than usual, grateful to have finally gotten a restful night's sleep. It was definitely a rare occurrence and one that he longed for often. His patient load

was heavier than normal and he was definitely feeling the stress. But thank God for Daphne. She was the only one keeping him grounded these days.

He rose from the bed and dressed for work, wishing that he could stay right here, holding her in his arms. What a blissful way to spend the day. Ten years ago, he would

never have believed that he'd end up married to the woman of his dreams. It was certainly love at first sight. He could still remember the first time he saw her; strikingly

beautiful and completely adorable standing in his brother's condo, folding the laundry. As he watched her now, sleeping like an angel she was even more beautiful than

the day he'd first laid eyes on her.

A glance at his watch told him he'd better hurry. There was nothing worse than being late for a session with a patient.

He smiled as he leaned over and planted a feather-light kiss on Daphne's cheek. "I love you, Sweetheart." He whispered.

Downstairs, he made a quick breakfast and reached into his briefcase for his patient schedule.

"Mrs. Thomkins" he read with a sigh. She was by far his most difficult patient; demanding and insecure with mood swings that startled him at times. He shuddered when

he realized how similar her actions were to his ex-wives'. He opened the bright orange folder, horrified to find that Mrs. Thompkins' personal files were gone. His heart

beat quickened as he ran up the stairs,resolving to be more conscientious about sensitive patient information. How could he have been so careless?

He entered the bedroom; panic filling him as he searched frantically for the paperwork. He looked in drawers, under the bed and even the closet with no luck. Finally he

sat down in the plush corner chair, just moments from hyperventilating when he spotted what he was looking for. But how in the world had it ended up here?

A horrible thought occurred to him then; one that sent a hot flame followed by a cold chill through his body. He swallowed hard as he reached for the paperwork that

lay scattered across Daphne's nightstand-and still more papers at the foot of the bed.

This was crazy. Daphne would never...

Unable to think clearly, he gathered the papers and returned them to the bright orange folder. Then he glanced back at his wife as he headed off to work; his heart

heavy beneath his chest.


	3. Chapter 3

Daphne groaned when the alarm clock went off, waking her out of a sound sleep. It seemed only moments ago when she'd drifted off into slumber. She tried to force

herself not to think about the cause of her sleeplessness, but it wasn't easy. The visions in her head were stronger than ever. She rolled over and opened her

eyes,surprised to find that Niles was already gone. The reality caused a slight hurt in her chest. He never left for work without kissing her goodbye and handing her a

cup of coffee. But perhaps he had an early morning meeting with an important patient.

At the word _patient_, her entire body tensed, remembering what she'd done last night. If only she'd talked to Niles instead of opening his briefcase. But it was too late

now. What's done was done.

The phone rang, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Hello?"

_"Oh, thank God you're home. Are you busy?"_ Roz asked.

"No, actually, I just woke up. Why are you calling at this time of day? Shouldn't you be at work?"

_"Well, yeah but I called in sick. Just don't tell Frasier, okay? He'd kill me."_

"Okay... I don't know a thing." Daphne said, grateful for the unintentional humor.

_"What's with you?"_ Roz asked.

The question caught Daphne off guard. "Nothing, why?"

_"Look, I'm not stupid. Something's going on. You and Niles having problems?"_

"No, of course not! So tell me about this date." Daphne said, trying to subtly change the subject.

_"Oh God... His name is Fred Wilkerson. Completely nerdy guy-even worse than Noel. I don't even know how I ended up with him. I mean, we met at The Sure Thing and-."_

"One drink led to another..." Daphne finished, glad Roz didn't notice her rolling her eyes. "Roz, really... don't you get tired of meeting men in bars that you'll only see

once in your life?"

Roz scoffed. _"Well gee Daphne, just because you found the man of your dreams doesn't mean that I have to."_

At the word _dreams_, an unexpected sob escaped. "Bloody hell..."

_"I'll be right over."_ Roz said.

When she heard the dial tone, Daphne's hand trembled as she hung up the phone and wiped the tears from her face. The last thing she wanted to do was get Roz

involved in this. Roz was the one who steered her in the wrong direction before. She remembered it like it was yesterday. She could still picture the painful expression

Niles wore when she'd confessed to not only looking through his patient's file but seeking the woman out as well. He was so hurt and with good reason. And it was all

because she hadn't trusted him.

How could she have ever doubted his love for her? True, he had been married to two other women when he claimed to be in love with her; women who treated him

badly and hurt him deeply. But that was no excuse for her actions.

She ran upstairs to change clothes and as she made her way down to the living room, the doorbell rang.

"Oh my God, what did Niles do to you?" Roz asked throwing her arms around Daphne. Despite the hurtful words, Roz's comforting touch unleashed a waterfall of

emotions, and soon she was sobbing onto her friend's shoulder.

After a long time, she pulled out of Roz's arms.

"All right, so what did that jackass do to get you so upset?" Roz asked, brushing a lock of hair from Daphne's forehead.

Daphne ignored the comment about her husband and took a deep breath. "He didn't do anything."

"Like hell he didn't." Roz said.

"It was me own fault. If I hadn't had this stupid psychic vision, everything would be fine." Daphne said tearfully.

"Excuse me?"

"Um... Well I'm not sure where they come from, but I have these psychic visions from time to time."

"Uh huh... And does Niles know about this?"

"Of course; although I'm not sure if he, Frasier or Mr. Crane believe me."

"I can see why." Roz said sarcastically.

"Look, did you come here to help me or make stupid comments?" Daphne snapped. "Because if I wanted to hear stupid comments, I'd just call me brother, Simon!"

"Okay, I'm sorry. Do did you have one of these _visions_ recently?" Roz asked.

Daphne nodded. "Last night and the night before. I can't seem to get them out of me head. They're so real. Roz, I think Niles is in danger!"

"In danger? Of what? Misreading a wine label during a wine club meeting?" Roz laughed hysterically at her own lame joke.

Daphne sighed. Telling Roz about her visions was definitely a bad idea.

When Roz realized that Daphne wasn't laughing, her smile disappeared. "Look Daphne, you're making too much out of nothing. Niles will be fine."

"I don't know... they were pretty frightenin' images."

"Oh, it's all in your head; probably from listening to Niles drone on and on about his patients. God knows that would drive me to drink even more than I already do."

Roz laughed. "I'd better get going." She said with a glance at her watch.

Daphne hugged her friend, suddenly grateful that she'd soon be alone. She loved Roz, but when it came to Niles, Roz just didn't get it.

"I have to go buy a new outfit for my date with Kevin tonight."

"Date? But Roz you said you called in sick from bein' exhausted from your date with Fred." Daphne said, staring at her friend in disbelief.

"Oh, he was exhausting all right. Spent the whole night telling me about his

Star Wars memorabilia crap! I'm telling you, Daph, he made Noel seem like George Clooney!"

Daphne tried to laugh but she just wasn't in the mood. In light of Roz's kind gesture of coming over, it had only succeeded in making

Daphne feel worse.


	4. Chapter 4

"So there I was, flying over Seattle. I was higher than the clouds, I tell ya! I looked down and saw the Space Needle. The thing looked so small I could reach down and pick it up!"

"All right. So you were flying in a plane..." Niles wrote on his notepad.

"No. Not in a plane. _Flying_, you know, with my arms like a bird?"

Niles rubbed his eyes; the tension headache worsening with each passing moment.

"So what do you think this dream means, Mr. Warren?"

His patient scoffed. "How in the hell should _I_ know? _You're_ the one with the NBA."

"M.D. I'm a doctor, remember?" Niles corrected with a sigh. You'd think the man would know the difference between an advanced degree and baseball. Why, the

Seahawks would be appalled!

"Whatever." Mr. Warren snapped. "I'm not paying you my life's savings for you to ask me what I think!"

Niles took a deep breath and tried to control the anger that rose inside of him. "Well... I think that's about all the time we have for today, Mr. Warren."

"Well thank God for that!" Mr. Warren said as he rose from the couch. "Thanks for the help, Doc." He added sarcastically.

Niles sighed with relief when Mr. Warren closed the door behind him. Alone in hi office, Niles tried to enjoy the solitude, but it proved to be a difficult task. He looked at

the wall clock, almost grateful that his next patient was due any minute. He definitely couldn't handle the silence right now. The best thing was to focus on work; get

his mind off of what had earlier. But the more he tried to pretend that it hadn't happened, the more he knew that it had. He reached into his briefcase and checked his

appointment schedule. His heart clinched when he saw the name...

Mrs. Thompkins.

_Damn..._

The bright orange folder. The missing contents he'd found scattered around Daphne's side of the bed. How could she have betrayed him like this? It was as though...

No. It wasn't possible. His heart ached to think that she didn't trust him. Not after all they'd been through. But there was no other explanation. And if he was honest

with himself, than he was the one to blame. He hadn't exactly been honest with her at first. And here he was, married to the woman of his dreams and he was

blissfully happy. He thought she was happy too. He simply couldn't understand it.

Why would she do this to him a second time? Just go through his briefcase and read Mrs. Thompkins' file? She knew how careful he was about protecting

his patient's privacy and confidentiality. The thought caused a rush of anger to flow through him and he pounded his fist on his desk.

"Dr. Crane! You startled me!"

He looked up to find a plain looking woman walking into his office and he glanced at the bright orange folder, feeling an incredible sense of guilt.

"Mrs. Thompkins. Please, come in."

"Are you all right, Dr. Crane?" She asked, eying him suspiciously.

"Um... Yes. I'm fine, thank you." He said, gesturing for her to sit on the couch.

Had he not been so angry, he'd have been touched by her concern, and might have made note of it. Rarely had Mrs. Tompkins showed compassion for anyone. He

gestured for her to sit on the couch and took the seat next to her.

"So, Mrs. Thompkins... How are you today?"

"What do you care?" she yelled. "And stop writing down everything I say!"

"Well, Mrs. Thompkins... as your therapist, I need to keep track of your thoughts because that's the only way to diagnose-."

"Like hell!" She yelled, startling him with the outburst.

A white hot flame grew inside of him, and he was only seconds from saying something that was sure to cause him to lose his license... or worse. He could feel his heart

beating wildly against his chest, and he took a deep breath before speaking.

"Is there anything you'd like to discuss, Mrs. Thompkins? Anything other than the current situation?"

"You're damn right there is!" She said. "I had the most terrifying dream last night."

"Well, why don't you tell me about it?" Niles asked, arming himself with his notepad.

"I can't!" She said, promptly bursting into tears. "I-I'm so ashamed!"

Immediately his heart went out to her, but he forced himself to remain strong. Any moment now she was sure to-

"I'm paying you good money and the least you can do is listen to my problems!" She yelled.

The headache that formed behind his eyes had become almost unbearable.

"Look Mrs. Thompkins, why don't we cut this session short and start fresh next week? In the meantime, here is a list of exercises for the mind that I'm sure will-."

She snatched the paper from his hand and glared at him.

"Damn you, Dr. Crane! How dare you give me homework! I'm no child, you know!"

Feeling faint, Niles closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Of course you're not a child. How unprofessional of me." He said, taking the paper from her. "I'll see you next week, Mrs. Thompkins."

Without a word, his patient grabbed her purse and walked out the door.

Niles sat down at his desk, completely exhausted from a session that ceased to solve any of his patient's problems, and stared at the closed door. Then without giving

it another thought, picked up the phone.

"Mrs. Woodson? Cancel the rest of my appointments. I'm leaving the office early. I have something important to take care of at home."


	5. Chapter 5

"OW! What are you trying to do, Daphne? Kill me?" Martin yelled.

"Oh shut up, old man! If you'd do your bloody exercises the way I told you to, you wouldn't be in so much pain!" Daphne yelled back. "Now turn onto your stomach and

let's stretch those calf muscles."

Martin groaned. "Can't you just massage my aching back instead?"

"Oh, all right. But only if it'll keep you quiet!"

"What's with you, anyway?" Martin asked.

"None of your bloody business! Now do you want a mas-sage or not?"

Martin turned onto his back, prompting Daphne to begin massaging his shoulders.

"Ahhh... Now that feels nice." Martin said with a sigh.

Suddenly a flash went through her mind...

"_All right, Crane. Start talking!"  
><em>

_"I-I'm afraid I don't know what you mean." _

"_You know damn well what I'm talking about! Now tell us what you know about Mrs. Thompkins' condition."  
><em>

_"B-but I can't! I simply cannot go against my ethics! I have a patient confidentially to adhere to! Why can't you understand that?"  
><em>

_"I'm very sorry to hear that, Dr. Crane..."_

"_Wait... what are you doing with that? No... Please, don't hurt me! What about my family? My..."_

"Hey, why'd you stop?" Martin was yelling, bringing her back to the present.

But Daphne couldn't speak. Tears filled her eyes and she turned away, praying that Martin hadn't seen.

"I-I think that's enough for one day." Daphne said. "Just let me get me things together and I'll be on me way."

"But wait a minute! You just started!" Martin protested. "You can't just leave! What's going on?"

"I-I'm sorry, Martin." Daphne said, unable to stop her voice from breaking.

She grabbed her belongings and headed for the door just as Frasier walked in.

"Hello, Daphne."

"Hello, Frasier." Daphne said rushing past him.

"Is everything all right, Daphne? What's going on?"

Martin shrugged. "Beats me. We were in the middle of a massage and she just packed up and said she had to go, and then she started to cry. Damnedest thing I've ever seen!"

"Oh my! What's wrong?" Frasier asked. He put his hand on her shoulder and then turned to Martin.

But Daphne was already opening the door. "I-I'm sorry. I just need to leave. There's something I need to do at home."

"You look upset. Are you sure there's nothing you'd like to talk about?"

Before Frasier could say another word, Daphne rushed into the hallway, grateful that the elevator doors opened.

"Daphne! Wait, please come back! I want to help you!" Frasier was calling to her as she stepped into the elevator.

Their eyes met and his concerned expression touched her heart. Normally she would run into his arms to find comfort in the absence of her husband. Frasier always

understood how she was feeling. But he would never understand this. No one would.

When the elevator doors closed, she put her hands over her face and began

to sob.


	6. Chapter 6

For the first time in his life, Niles entered his apartment absolutely dreading the thought of seeing Daphne. The realization stung like nothing he'd ever felt before, but

the memory of what she'd done cut much deeper. She didn't trust him; plain and simple. Of course, neither had Maris or Mel, but that was to be expected. Both women

were demanding, hurtful and deceiving. But not Daphne... she was caring, sweet, kind, beautiful... someone whose gentle nature was one of the things that he loved

most about her. She was absolutely perfect...

Until now...

He looked around, both dismayed and relieved when Daphne didn't greet him at the door as she always did. Perhaps she was still at Frasier's.

"Daphne?" He called to the empty living room.

His chest tightened as he waited for an answer but none came. With a sigh he walked over to the bar and made himself a sherry, and then sat down on the fainting

couch. He was so deep in thought that he barely heard the footsteps behind him.

"Niles..."

At the sound of her voice, he rose from the couch and turned to her.

"Oh. Hello, Daphne."

She smiled; her beauty almost weakening him, but he refused to give way. He had to get to the bottom of this.

Daphne moved toward him, her outstretched arms welcoming him in. But as soon as she touched him, he pulled away. The pain in her eyes seared through his heart,

but this was no time for compassion.

"W-what's wrong?" She asked.

He sighed deeply "We need to talk."

"All right." She said.

He gestured for her to sit on the fainting couch.

What's on your mind?"

"Well, it's a little awkward for me to talk about." Niles said.

Daphne smiled and took his hand, bringing it to her lips for a kiss. "You can tell me anything."

"Daphne, I'm going to ask you something and I need you to tell me the truth."

"All right." She said again.

Niles pulled his hand away from hers. "Did you go through my briefcase last night?"

She stared at him. "Y-your briefcase?"

"Yes, my Italian leather briefcase. The one I keep right next to my nightstand. I was reviewing a patient's files last night before bed and this morning I

discovered to my horror that the papers were missing."

"Oh..."

"So is that a yes?" He asked, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach.

"Yes-I-I mean, no! Of course not!" She stammered.

"You mean you _didn't_ go through my briefcase and read a patient's file?"

"No, I-I mean..."

"Well which is it? As your husband, I'm entitled to know the truth! Did you or did you not go through my briefcase?"

She turned away and started to cry, confirming his fears.

"Daphne..."

She whirled around to face him. "Yes, I did it, Niles! I went through your bloody files!"

"How could you do this again?" he asked. "Didn't you learn your lesson the first time?" Niles asked.

"I-I'm so sorry. I just..."

"You're _sorry_? You're _sorry_? Sorry doesn't even begin to cover it! There's no excuse for this! I-I just can't believe you would so something like this twice! Is

this what our marriage is going to be built on...deception and lies?"

"No. Of course not! B-But Niles, I had to! I had a good reason!" Daphne said.

"There's not a reason in the world that could be good enough to violate a person's privacy! Daphne do you realize what you've done? I could lose my job over this!"

"I-I'm so sorry, Niles! I really am!" Daphne said tearfully.

"Well so am I." Niles said, unable to contain his anger.

"If you'll just listen to me, I can explain!" Daphne said, suppressing a sob.

He sighed deeply. "All right. Go ahead."

"I've been having some of me psychic flashes and-."

Anger burned at Niles' insides. "I don't want to hear it, Daphne! Now we've been over this before. These ridiculous visions are all in your head! Don't you get it? This is

our marriage we're talking about and all you care about is some dream?"

"But it wasn't a dream! It was a-."

Niles walked to the door and grabbed his car keys.

"Where are you going?" Daphne asked.

"I'm going out. I need to be alone for a while."

"But when are you coming back?"

"I don't know." Niles said.

Daphne ran toward him, sobbing.

"Niles, please! I can explain if you'll just. I was worried about you! And me vision was-"

"Goodbye Daphne." Niles said, as he closed the door behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

Daphne stared at the closed door, mere seconds before breaking down into huge sobs. And just when she thought she couldn't cry any more, her tears proved her

wrong. The worst thing was that there was absolutely no one to talk to. No way in the world would she call her mum. She had a feeling that her mum disapproved of

her marriage to begin with, no matter how much she seemed to care about Niles. Simon was definitely out of the picture. He was the last person on Earth she would

call.

As for Roz... It had been a major mistake telling her about the visions. Not only was her friend completely unsympathetic, but Daphne had a feeling that Roz had been

making fun of her as well.

And Niles... How could he think for one second that she'd make up a story about a psychic vision? Of course she hadn't exactly given him a reason to trust her. She'd

never forgive herself for listening to Roz and going to Heather Murphy's office He'd been so hurt and even after he said he'd forgiven her, she'd spent several nights

tossing and turning over her actions. If Niles could only understand that she'd looked through Mrs. Thompkins folder for a reason.

She knew it was a huge risk, going through his personal files; especially after she'd done it once before. She wanted so desperately to call his cell phone and plead

with him to understand. She loved him with all of her heart and she was only thinking of his safety. To lose him forever would be absolutely unbearable. Without him,

she didn't think she could go on living. If it weren't for Niles, she'd be married to a man who cared more about winning successful divorce cases than about his own

wife. Without Niles, she'd never know what it felt like to be called an angel or a goddess...two titles that she could never aspire to in a million years.

But she had a feeling that Niles would disagree.

She tried to smile, but seconds later her emotions took over, sending even more tears down her cheeks. This was ridiculous. She couldn't stay here crying all night.

She walked into the kitchen and made a cup of tea, hoping it would calm her, but nothing worked.

Finally she sat down in front of the television and picked up the remote. Immediately the screen filled with a familiar image; a commercial for the tropical resort where

she and Niles spent their honeymoon. It was the most romantic, passionate week they'd ever spent together. She blinked, causing the hot tears that formed behind her

eyes to fall.

Emotionally exhausted, she turned off the television and padded upstairs, where, without even bothering to change her clothes, climbed into bed and

cried herself to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Earlier-Elliot Bay Towers**

"Niles!" Frasier said as he answered the door. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

Niles rolled his eyes at his brother's apparent sarcasm and pushed his way into the condo.

"I don't have time for jokes, Frasier. I just need a place to stay for the night."

"A place to stay? What's wrong with your place?" Martin asked, looking up from the television.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Niles said with a sigh. "I just want to forget this whole evening ever happened!"

"You and Daphne have a fight?"

"_Fight_ doesn't even _begin_ to cover it!" Niles said. He could feel his heart beating as he paced back and forth on the hardwood floor.

"I'll make you a sherry, but Niles... Please, stop doing that! You'll ruin the finish! It took me days to schedule the cleaning crew!"

"Oh Geez, Fras! You can't be serious!" Martin said. "The kid's obviously upset and you're worried about your damn floor! Come on in, Niles. The floor is fine!"

"Thanks, Dad. I don't want to intrude, but I just couldn't stay at home a moment longer!" Niles said.

"Sounds serious." Frasier said, handing Niles a glass of sherry.

"Thanks." Niles said, taking the glass and consuming it in one gulp. He walked over to the sofa and sat down on the arm rest.

"Anything you'd like to talk about, Niles?" Frasier asked, glancing worriedly at his father.

"I don't even know where to begin." Niles answered.

"How about at the beginning?" Frasier asked with a smile.

"Fras!" came his father's warning glare.

"Oh all right. I'm sorry Niles. What's on your mind?"

"Well it's Daphne." He said sadly.

"What's going on?"

"I think... It may be over between us." Niles said; fearing that his voice would break.

Immediately his father and brother exchanged glances.

"Niles, you can't really mean that." Frasier said. "Your love for Daphne is so deep that a little argument doesn't mean that it's gone forever."

"Frasier, I've always thought of her as an angel. A goddess. Someone who was perfect in my eyes."

"Oh, but Niles... I've told you this hundreds of times before. Nobody's per-."

"Fras-." Came his father's voice.

Niles rose from the sofa and resumed pacing the floor. "She betrayed me."

"Betrayed you? You mean she's having an affair?" Martin asked.

"Heavens no! Although that would be a little easier to take." Niles said. "If I didn't love her so much, I-." when his voice broke, he stopped suddenly,

unable to go on.

"Niles, it's not good to keep your feelings bottled up inside." Frasier said. "What's Daphne done?"

Niles took a deep breath and tried to relax; the way he'd told so many of his patients to do when they poured their feelings out to him in his office.

"She completely went behind my back. She... looked in my briefcase and went through a patient's file." Niles said, feeling a strange sense of relief.

"Dear God!" Frasier said.

"That's stupid! Daphne would never do anything like that!" Martin said.

"Well that's what I thought, but unfortunately, it happened. And the worst thing is that this wasn't the first time." Niles said.

Frasier stared at him in disbelief. "What would possess her to do such a thing? She knows how personal those files are."

"That's what I can't understand. I mean, I was willing to forgive her the first time, even though it hurt me deeply that she didn't trust me." Niles said. "How

could she even think that there's another woman? We've been blissfully happy ever since we got married! But maybe she's not as happy with me as I

thought."

"Daphne's one of the most honest people I know. She's let me have it plenty of times when she's not happy with something I've done. Well I know for a

fact that she loves you and she must have had a damn good reason for going behind your back like this." Martin said.

"_What,_ Dad? What _possible_ reason could she have for violating a person's privacy?" Niles yelled.

"Did you ask her about it?" Frasier asked.

"Well of course I asked her, but she gave me some outlandish excuse about a vision." Niles said.

"A vision? You mean those psycho things?"

"_Psychic_, Dad. And yes. At first I found her visions-."

"Charming?" Frasier asked with a smile.

"Yes, charming. But to just use one as an excuse for hurting me like this? I could barely get through my session with the patient, knowing that Daphne

had read her file!" Niles said. "And then to _lie_ about it?"

"Maybe she wasn't lying." Martin said.

"Dad, you can't be serious!" Niles said.

"You know, I've always found Daphne's visions a bit over the top, but Dad does have a point. Daphne does love you. I can see it every time she looks at

you." Frasier said.

When Niles looked away, Frasier put his hand on his little brother's shoulder.

"Just talk to her, Niles."


	9. Chapter 9

"_Right this way, Crane." _

_Niles followed the scruffy looking man down the narrow alley in Seattle's Pioneer Square. _

"_Are you sure this is where Mrs. Thompkins wanted to meet me? On the phone she specified the Pioneer Square Hotel, but she must have gotten the address _

_wrong because this is hardly-."_

"_Save it, Crane! Do you want to see her or not?"  
><em>

_"Well of course. She's my patient but I still-."  
><em>

_"Hey, wait a minute! Not so hard!" Niles said, wincing at the forceful grip on his forearm.  
><em>

_"Come on, get in there!" The scruffy man said. He opened a large metal door and shoved Niles inside. The force of the man's strength was so great that it caused _

_Niles to stumble and fall to the ground with a hard thud._

_The scruffy man grinned with satisfaction just as a tall, sophisticated woman appeared by his side. "That'll keep him quiet for a while." He laughed. _

_The man and woman stared at Niles' motionless body, and then turned to one another smiling with satisfaction. _

"_Thank God you got him out of the way." The woman said. "I knew he was a fraud the minute I laid eyes on him. Probably couldn't diagnose the common cold!" _

"_Yeah, but you've got to admit that your story was pretty convincing." The scruffy man said. "Posing as a patient in order to get the doc to prescribe those drugs! _

_Absolutely brilliant, Mrs. Thompkins!"  
><em>

_"For the last time, Dan... The name's Claire Underwood!" She corrected him. _

"_Not until we're finished here, it's not." Dan said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, Babe. Let's go."  
><em>

_But what if he wakes up?" Claire asked as they turned to leave the abandoned warehouse._

_Dan looked at Niles lying on the ground and laughed. "Believe me, there's no chance of that." _


	10. Chapter 10

"Noooo!"

Daphne's eyes flew open and she looked around the darkened bedroom. Almost immediately a flood of tears came, followed by sobs that consumed her entire body.

God, when were these psychic visions going to stop?

She brushed the tears from her red, puffy face and picked up the phone. She knew that Niles was still cross with her, but she had to talk to him. With trembling fingers

she began to dial. Her heart raced like mad as she listened to the ringing phone.

"_Please answer, please answer.._." She prayed.

But instead, a familiar recording...

"_This is Dr. Niles Crane. I'm sorry I'm not able to take your call at the moment, but please leave your name and phone number and I'll call you back immediately." _

She took a deep breath, but her voice broke when she began to leave a message.

"Niles, I know you're cross with me and you have every right to be, but you have to cancel your appointment with Mrs. Thompkins. I'd tell you why, but you'd never

believe me. But please... you have to trust me! I know I have no right askin' you to do that, what with me invadin' her privacy and all, but I only did it for you, Niles. I-I

love you and I can't... I-I don't know what I'd do if I lost you!"

Unable to speak anymore, she hung up the phone and began to sob into her hands.

"Oh Niles..."

After a few minutes, she picked up the phone again and dialed the number.

"Please be there..." she prayed.

_"Hello?"_ came her brother in law's voice.

"Hello, Frasier. I-I'm sorry to call you so late, but I was wonderin' if Niles was over there. I have to speak with him. It's an emergency!"

_"Daphne, are you all right?"_ Frasier asked, his gentle voice causing a sob to escape.

"Please, Frasier..."

_"Of course. He's right here."_

_"Frasier, I don't want to talk to her!"_ came her husband's far away voice.

_"Niles, don't be ridiculous!"_

Frasier's words were muffled, as though he was trying to shield the receiver with his hand. But sadly, she got Niles' message loud and clear.

"Frasier, please... I-I know I hurt him and it was wrong of me to do what I did. I just... I need to explain."

Frasier sighed. _"It's all right, Daphne. Niles, for God's sake! Talk to your wife!"_

She could hear shuffling and then her husband's voice.

"Hello, Daphne."

The unusually abrupt done caught her off-guard.

"Niles, I-I know you don't want to hear me voice right now, but I have something important to tell you." Daphne said.

_"Daphne, unless you're going to tell me the truth about why you felt the need to go looking through Mrs. Thompkins' file-."_

"Niles, you're in danger." She blurted out.

_"What? Daphne what are you talking about?"_

"I had another one of me psychic flashes! Only this time-."

An exasperated sigh preceded Niles' response. "Daphne, please! Why do you insist on giving this ridiculous excuse?"

"B-but it's not an excuse, Niles! I swear it!" She said, covering her mouth to suppress a sob.

"Daphne, I really-."

"All right, fine. If you don't believe me, then I guess I have to accept that, but when are you coming home?"

Another sigh, more exasperated than the first. "Tomorrow night. I have to meet with this patient and then-."

"Well, why don't I meet you at your office and we can go out for dinner afterwards?" Daphne suggested.

This meeting isn't at the office." Niles said.

Daphne's chest tightened with fear. "Where is it, then? And who is she?"

_"Daphne, we've been over and over this! I cannot discuss my patients!"_ Niles yelled, his angry tone resonating through the receiver

"It's Mrs. Thompkins, isn't it? And you're meeting her in Pioneer Square, right?"

_A long silence followed, which signaled that she'd been right._

_"You're really trying my patience here!"_ Niles said "Now like I said before, I'm going to go meet Mrs. Thompkins and then-."

"B-but Niles, you _can't _go meet her!" Daphne said; the words coming out in a desperate rush. "Please! Don't go! I'm begging you! It's too dangerous!"

"Goodbye, Daphne." Niles said.

"Why can't you understand?" She pleaded.

But her question was answered by the buzzing dial tone...


	11. Chapter 11

**Pioneer Square**

Daphne pulled her black wool coat closer to her body, shivering from the cold. It had been an exhausting walk from the center of downtown, but she hadn't

had enough money for the extremely long taxi ride. Martin and Frasier would be livid if they knew that she'd taken it upon herself to take a taxi to one of the most

dangerous places in Seattle. She was risking her life being here at this hour of the night, but she had to save her husband. She walked briskly down the sidewalk

exuding as much confidence as she could; a trait she'd learned from her older brothers. _Just look straight ahead,hold your head high and give no indication that you don't _

_'know where you're headed_. They always advised.

When she reached the heart of Pioneer Square a chill came over her, but she knew it had nothing to do with the night air. For at that moment, she found herself

staring at the same warehouse that appeared in her vision.

She swallowed hard, suddenly terrified. Her first thought was to jump into a

taxi and rush over to Frasier's. Niles should still be there, and surely he would forgive her...

Or not...

Even if she pleaded with him, he seemed determined to meet with Mrs. Thompkins-no matter what the cost. So it was up to her to save him.

Boldly she crossed the street, taking great care to avoid any suspicious-looking people. But in Pioneer Square, where danger lurked around every corner, that was a

difficult feat.

She reached the warehouse; her heart racing as she peered inside.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" She called, hearing the echo of her voice.

Carefully she opened the heavy metal door and walked inside, feeling a sense of déjà vu. It was as though she'd been here before. Every detail mirrored her

vision.

"Hello?" She called again.

"Hey! What in the hell are you doing in here?"

Daphne gasped when she found herself face to face with a familiar-looking man; scruffy, disheveled hair, untidy beard, wrinkled shirt and pants.

_Oh God..._

"I asked you a question, lady!" he yelled.

"Oh... Well, I'm looking for a Mrs. Thompkins."

"What do you need her for?" He snapped.

"I-I'm Mrs. Crane. Daphne Crane. She's a patient of my husband, Dr. Niles Crane." She said; startled at how much her voice was trembling.

_So much for confidence_.

"Crane, huh?"

"Yes, that's right."

"THOMPKINS!" The man yelled causing Daphne to wince. "There's someone here to see you!"

A woman appeared, looking very different than the woman in her vision;shorter, less sophisticated, but the same woman nonetheless. She had the

same piercing eyes and intimidating glare.

"What's going on, Dan?" She asked. "I told you not to bother me at this hour of the night! Who's this?"

Daphne averted her eyes at the woman's glare.

"This woman is here to see you." Dan said.

Thompkins rolled her eyes. "Who, _her_? What makes you think I'd want to see this lowlife?"

"I am most certainly not a lowlife!" Daphne said, suddenly feeling a surge of confidence. "I happen to be _Mrs._ _Niles Crane_!"

"What so now he's sending his little woman to do his work for him? I knew he didn't have the guts to face me in person! He's fine in that ridiculous office of his; the one he claims to be his sanctuary so that his patients will feel at ease.

What a load of crap! He's no doctor!"

Daphne was appalled. "How _dare_ you speak that way about my husband! He's the most wonderful man on this earth and if you can't see that, then... well, you don't

deserve to be his patient! Why don't you just go back where you came from and leave me husband alone? All he's done is tried to help you, but according to your

chart, you need a lot more help than anyone can-."

She stopped suddenly, horrified at her words.

Mrs. Thompkins moved toward Daphne and grabbed her coat. "What did you say?"

"I-I..."

"You read my chart, didn't you?"

"Um... Well..."

"That's what I thought. You know, I've had just about enough of you that I can stand. Time to shut you up!"

"Wait..." Daphne said; her voice breaking as she slowly backed away from the woman. "What are you talking about? Don't hurt me, please! I-I'm sorry I really didn't

mean what I said. And I really didn't mean to read your file. I was just so worried about me husband! Sometimes me mind just-."

"QUIET!" Mrs. Thompkins yelled.

"But if you'll just leave Niles alone and find another-."

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Dan yelled, shoving Daphne as hard as he could. Her head hit the ground with a hard thud, causing the most unimaginable pain.

And then everything went black...


	12. Chapter 12

Niles sighed as he pulled his BMW into the parking garage at the Montana. It was ungodly late, but Frasier and his dad were right; it was best to talk things out with

Daphne. Even if she had betrayed him, there had to be a reason. The notion of her using some vision as an excuse infuriated him, but there was no point in flying into

a rage. God knows that never solved anything. He'd learned that lesson years ago with both Maris and Mel. He'd just go home and insist to Daphne that they have a

heart to heart talk-get all their feelings out into the open. And no matter what her reason for doing what she did, he would always love her. That, he was for

certain, would never change.

He hesitated before pushing the elevator button with his trembling finger, amazed at the nervousness he felt. This wasn't the same woman he'd been infatuated with

all those years ago at Frasier's house. This was his wife; his best friend...the only woman with whom he felt completely at ease. So why was he in a sudden state of

panic?

The elevator doors opened, causing his heartbeat to increase. He couldn't be sure, but he could swear that the ride to his floor took much less time than normal.

Within seconds he arrived at his apartment. His throat went dry and he found it difficult to insert the key into the lock.

_Calm down Niles. Everything will be fine..._

He turned the knob and entered his home. The living room was dark except for the beams of light coming from the streetlamps outside.

"Daphne?" He called, instantly feeling foolish. There's no way she'd be up at this hour. He tossed his keys onto the coffee table and headed upstairs.

"Daphne?"

The bedroom door was ajar and for a moment he almost felt guilty for waking her. But he refused to back down. They needed to talk and he had to do it

now before he lost his nerve.

Slowly he pushed the door open, wincing at the faint creaking of the hinges.

He really should get that fixed.

_Dear God, Niles! How can you think of home repair at a time like this?_

"Daphne?" He said, looking around the darkened room. "Look, I know this isn't the best time, but I really think we should talk."

He paused, waiting for a response. When none came, he walked over to the bed and reached out his hand.

"Daphne, I-."

He gasped when he realized the bed was empty.

Dear God, where was she? He ran out of the room and down the hallways, calling her name. He shuddered to think that she'd gone out at this hour. It was much too

dangerous. He rushed back down the stairs, praying that he'd find her in the kitchen. His hand trembled as he pushed open the door and he looked around; his heart

sinking when he found the kitchen empty. Her cell phone! That would tell him where she was.

He dialed the number, praying that she would answer. But to his dismay, he turned to discover that her cell phone was sitting on the coffee table next to his car keys.

This was completely unlike her-leaving home without her cell phone-and at this hour! Daphne was definitely headstrong, but there's no way she'd do

something to put her in harm's way. Suddenly a cold chill ran through his body, and a terrible feeling came over him. He tried to shake it off. She was probably just angry with him and decided to spend the night with one of her girlfriends. But deep down he knew that wasn't the case.

His chest felt tight, bringing back the same terrified feeling he'd had as he was being wheeled into heart surgery; the feeling that he might never see Daphne

again. It was almost unbearable. Try as he might, he just couldn't rid himself of the fear. He grabbed Daphne's cell phone and dialed Frasier's number.

_"Hello?"_ Came his brother's groggy voice.

"Frasier, thank God. I need your help." Niles said desperately.

Frasier sighed. _"Niles, really! It's 3:30 in the morning! You and Daphne haven't reconciled yet? Just forgive her already! You can deal with your patient later._

_Besides, I have an important meeting in the morning and I simply must-."_

"Frasier, Daphne's gone." Niles blurted out.

_"Dear God... All right, Niles. Just stay calm. Dad and I will be right over."_ Frasier said in a gentle but frantic tone.

But as Niles hung up the phone, he knew that staying calm would prove to be impossible.


	13. Chapter 13

The empty sherry glass in his hand, Niles paced the living room floor, barely aware that the doorbell had rung.

"Niles, open up!" came his father's muffled tone.

Niles rushed to the door and jerked it open, glancing worriedly into the concerned eyes of his father and brother. Embarrassed by his tears, he quickly

brushed them away.

"Oh Niles..." Frasier said, rushing to hug him. "Everything will be all right. We'll find her."

"And we won't stop looking until we do." Martin said reassuringly.

"Okay, come on Niles. Let's go find her." Frasier said. "Dad, you stay here in case she comes home and call us the moment she arrives."

"Like hell I will!" Martin snapped.

Frasier and Niles looked at their father in stunned amazement. "Dad, you can't be serious!" Frasier said.

"The hell I'm not! Daphne's my daughter and I'll be damned if I'm gonna sit here by myself when she's missing like this."

"Daughter_ in-law_, Dad. Daphne is your daughter-_in-law_." Frasier corrected.

"I'll call her whatever I damn well want to call her!" Martin retorted.

Niles smiled at his father's sentiment toward his wife. "Thank you Dad. We really should go. The sooner we find her the better."

"You're absolutely right, Son." Martin said.

Niles expression grew apprehensive. "But what if we don't find her?"

"We'll find her, Niles. You can count on that."

**Later...**

"Niles, we've been driving all over downtown Seattle for nearly an hour now! Don't you have some idea of where she might have gone?" Frasier asked.

Niles shook his head sadly. "I wish I knew. God... I would give anything to take back those things I said to her!"

"Niles, you were angry." Frasier said. "And you had every right to be. Daphne had no business going through your files."

"Well I still think she had a damn good reason." Martin chimed in.

"And what _reason_ would _that _be, Dad?" Niles asked, feeling his anger toward Daphne return. "Look, I don't need you treating me like a child."

"Enough!" Frasier said, silencing his father and little brother. "I'm sorry Niles, but after we find her, I'm sure you two will work out your differences. You

deserve an explanation for why Daphne did what she did."

"Well, there's no sense in worrying about it now." Martin said. "The important thing is that we find her. Niles, did Daphne give _any_ indication as to where she might

have gone? Any clues?"

"No... Not even a note." Niles said, staring at the floorboard of the car. Oh, I just can't stand this! I-." He stopped suddenly and looked across the darkened street.

_Dear God..._

"What's wrong, Niles?" Frasier asked.

"Stop the car, Frasier!"

"What, here?" Martin asked. "No way, it's too dangerous!"

"Just stop the car!" Niles yelled, startling his bother and father with his outburst.

"Okay..." Frasier said hesitantly. He slowed the car to a stop and pulled into a narrow parking space next to the curb on Yesler Way.

"What's going on?" Martin asked.

"Niles, this is hardly the most ideal place to be at... 4am." Frasier said, glancing at his watch. Where are we anyway?"

"Pioneer Square." Martin said. "Boy, I've pulled a lot of dead bodies out of this place, I tell ya. It's notoriously dangerous! Gets worse every year!"

Niles looked at his father, terrified. "Dad... you don't think..."

"Oh Geez... I'm sorry Son. I should have never brought that up." Martin said.

"You're damn right you shouldn't have!" Frasier yelled. "Can't you see that Niles is scared to death as it is?"

Martin sighed. "All right, look... Let's go find her and get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps."

"Niles, why did you make us stop here?" Frasier asked.

"Because..._That's_ where I was supposed to meet Mrs. Thompkins." Niles said pointing to the building across the street. "The Pioneer Square Hotel."

"There?" Martin asked. "But what makes you think we'll find Daphne-."

"I don't know..." Niles said. "I just have a very bad feeling."

"Then we should go." Frasier said. "She's probably at home waiting for you."

"I can't go home, Frasier!" Niles said. "I have to know if..." His voice trailed away.

"Okay, Son. We'll check it out." Martin said. "But Frasier and I will go in first."

"But Dad-."

"No _buts_, Niles! We're goin' in first and that's final!"

They got out of the car and glanced at their surroundings.

"Why in the world would this woman want you to meet her here?" Frasier asked. "Niles, are you sure this is the right place?"

Niles reached into his pocket and retrieved a folded piece of paper. "Well, let's see..." He unfolded the paper and began to read. "_1218 Yesler Way_. Yes, this

is the place."

"But this is a warehouse, Niles." Frasier said guardedly. "It's not a hotel at all and I really think-."

"Frasier, I just have to look." Niles said.

"All right Son." Martin said. "Just follow Frasier and I, but be careful."

Slowly the three men walked toward the large brick building until they came to a metal door.

"We'll do it just like we planned." Martin said. "Fras and I will go in first and then when the coast is clear, I'll motion for you to follow us, Niles."

"No, I'm going in with you." Niles said, pushing his way into the warehouse.

"Niles, I don't think that's a good-."

"Dad-." Frasier said cautiously. "He'll be fine."

They walked into the warehouse and looked around.

"Just keep quiet and stay together. Understand?" Martin asked.

"Of course we understand, Dad." Niles said with a roll of his eyes. "We're not children, you know!"

"Well you're my children and I don't want anything to happen to you, so just be careful." Martin said.

"I'll look over this way." Niles said, walking away from his dad and brother.

"Niles, I mean it! Be careful over there!" he heard his father calling.

Niles' heart pounded beneath his chest as he walked around the warehouse.

"Daphne! Daphne, my love... are you here?" He called, hearing his voice echo throughout the empty warehouse.

"Niles, are you insane?" Frasier asked in astonishment. "What are you doing?

Be quiet!"

Niles turned to see his father hobbling around the warehouse with his cane, desperately searching for Daphne. But something made him turn around. He swallowed

hard as his eyes spotted a large shape in a darkened corner on the ground. His body went cold and a million thoughts raced through his head. He could feel his eyes

fill with tears as he slowly moved closer until suddenly he caught a glimpse of the figure. His hand went to his mouth in complete and utter horror.

Daphne...

"Oh my GOD! FRASIER! DAD!" he yelled.

Instantly he dropped to the ground and began checking for a pulse, immensely relived when he found one. The realization that she was alive brought tears to his

eyes.

Within seconds Martin and Frasier rushed to Niles' side.

"Niles! What's going on-Oh, dear God! Daphne!" Frasier said, dropping to the ground to tend to her. "Daphne? Daphne can you hear me? It's Frasier and

Niles!"

But there was no answer.

"She's had a strong blow to the head." He said quietly. "But it doesn't appear that she's been unconscious for long. We should call 911."

But Niles just cradled Daphne's head in his arms, leaning his tear stained cheek against hers. "No Frasier... God, who would do something like this to

her? She's an absolute angel! Daphne would never hurt anyone!" he said in a quivering voice.

"I wish I knew..." Frasier said. "And why would she be in a place like this by herself?"

"Oh God..." Niles said, beginning to cry against Daphne's wonderfully scented

hair. "Daphne I'm so sorry..."

"Niles, we really should call 911." Frasier said.

"I'll call." Niles said reaching for his cell phone.

"You'll do nothing of the sort!" Martin said. "Now you just take care of your wife and I'll take care of everything else."

At his son's distraught look, Martin winked. "Everything will be all right, Son. I promise."


	14. Chapter 14

The waiting room at Seattle General was cold and unfriendly-or at least it seemed that way. Niles shuddered, remembering the last time he was here; undergoing

heart surgery-one of the scariest things he could imagine. But nothing was as terrifying as the thought of never seeing Daphne again. His mended heart warmed as he

remembered the many times she told him about how frightened she'd been while he was in surgery; how she'd broken down into sobs when she was doing her best to remain strong.

It was only one of a million reasons that he loved her so much.

Daphne was so much stronger than he'd ever be. Sure, he put up a brave front for his patients, and he could hold his own against Frasier or his dad. But when it came

to matters of the heart, Daphne far exceeded him.

He winced, remembering how she'd looked lying in that horrible warehouse; in the worst imaginable area of Seattle. God only knows how long she'd been there... and

how much pain she'd endured. It was a wonder she hadn't...

Tears filled his eyes at the thought.

_Damn it, Daphne. What were you doing there anyway? _

Suddenly he felt two gentle hands on his back and he turned to find his brother smiling at him.

"How are you holding up?" Frasier asked.

Niles sighed, his voice breaking as he spoke. "I can't lose her, Frasier! I just can't!"

"I know, Niles." Frasier said patting his brother's back. "But Daphne's strong. She's not going anywhere."

"Then why haven't we heard anything? It's been hours!" Niles yelled, pulling away from his brother's attempted embrace.

"I'll go check with the doctor, find out when we can see her, okay?" Frasier asked. "Dad should be back soon and then we can all go in and see her."

"Where _is_ Dad?" Niles asked, feeling slightly guilty that he hadn't noticed that his father wasn't around.

"He went to make some phone calls... to try and find out... how this happened." Frasier said quietly.

Niles began to pace the waiting room floor, his hands on his head.

"Niles, just... try to relax, okay?" Frasier said softly.

"How can I possibly relax when my wife-."

"Excuse me, Dr. Crane?"

Niles and Frasier both turned to find the doctor walking toward them, and they both spoke at once.

"How is she, Dr. Ruston?How is my wife?"

"She'll be just fine." Dr. Ruston said with a smile. "She had a pretty bad blow to the head so we're going to keep her overnight for observation. We've stitched up the

wound and she should be better within a few weeks."

Overcome with relief and gratitude, he threw his arms around the doctor.

"Oh, thank you Dr. Ruston!" Niles said.

"Niles!" Frasier said, quickly pulling his brother away.

"Can we see her?" Niles asked.

"Of course, but she needs her rest." Dr. Ruston said.

"You go ahead, Niles. I'll wait here for Dad." Frasier said.

"Thanks, Frasier." Niles said with a smile.

"Right this way, Dr. Crane." Dr. Ruston said.

Niles felt his chest tighten as he followed Dr. Ruston down the desolate hallway and turned the corner.

"Here we are."

"I cannot thank you enough for all that you've done." Niles said. "Perhaps I could make a size-able donation to Seattle General to show my gratitude."

Dr. Ruston laughed. "Well, that's very generous; Dr. Crane! We'll keep that in mind!"

Niles heart beat madly as he pushed open the door and walked into the room. When he reached the bed, he gasped at how pale his angel was. How could someone

have done this to her; a woman whose caring nature was one of the most beautiful things he had ever experienced? His eyes filled with tears as he kissed her hand

and caressed it against his cheek.

"Oh Daphne... I'm so sorry..."

He reached over and ever so gently brushed the hair from her forehead, revealing the white bandage. Her perfect cheeks, once the color of porcelain,

were now stained with blue bruises. The tears that filled his eyes were now streaming down his cheeks and he made no effort to brush them away. He leaned over

and kissed each bruise as gently as possible before his lips lingered on her mouth. And to his amazement, her eyes fluttered open.

She looked around in alarm and tried to sit up.

"Niles, what-."

Gently he put his hands on her shoulders and eased her back against the pillows.

"W-where am I?"

"You're in the hospital, Sweetheart. You... had an accident. B-but everything will be okay."

"Oh God..." She said as she started to cry. "Me head hurts something horrific, and I-."

"I'll be right back." He said pulling away from her.

"NO!" Don't leave me, please!" She cried, reaching for him.

"I'm just going to call the nurse to get you something for the pain." He said, pressing the call button.

_"Yes Mrs. Crane?"_ came the nurse's muffled voice.

"This is her husband, Niles Crane. My wife is in terrible pain. Can you bring some aspirin please?"

_"Right away, Dr. Crane."_ The nurse replied. Within seconds she appeared at the door with some water and two aspirin.

"Thank you." Niles said taking the aspirin from the nurse.

"Anything else?"

"No, this is fine. Thank you." Niles said.

When the nurse was gone, he handed Daphne the aspirin and cup of water.

"Take this Sweetheart, and you'll feel better in a few minutes."

Dutifully she took the aspirin but when she leaned against the pillows she stared to cry again, to his dismay.

"Oh my love..." He said gently taking her in his arms.

"Niles, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-." Her voice broke as she sobbed into his chest.

He held her close and stroked her back. "Shh... Don't say that. None of this is your fault. I love you, Daphne."

She smiled through her tears. "I love you too, Niles." She said as they shared a kiss.

The door opened and they looked up to see Frasier and Martin standing before them. When Daphne held out her arms, the two men walked into the

room and greeted her warmly.

"Hey Daph, how's it goin'?" Martin asked, kissing her cheek.

"Daphne... Thank God you're all right." Frasier said hugging her tightly.

Touched by the sentiment, Daphne started to cry again. "I-I'm so sorry for what I did! I was stupid and-."

"It wasn't stupid and neither were you." Frasier said hugging her again. "In fact, it was incredibly brave and we're all proud of you."

"Thank you." Daphne said giving him a sad smile.

"Um, Niles, can we talk to you for a minute?" Frasier asked.

"Sure, what's on your mind?"

Martin looked around worriedly. "Maybe we'd better go out into the hallway."

"But what about-."

"This won't take long." Martin said.

"I'll be right back." Niles said, kissing the top of Daphne's head.

Out in the hallway, Niles couldn't help but notice the somber expression of his father and brother. "What's going on?"

Martin sighed. "I made some phone calls and pulled some strings at the Seattle PD and I found out a few things about what happened in that

warehouse."

Immediately Niles' interest was peaked and his heart began to race.

"Niles, I don't know quite how to say this, but your patient Mrs. Thompkins is a big fat phoney!" Martin said.

"Dad!"

Noticing Niles' shocked expression, Frasier led him to a nearby chair and coaxed him to sit down. "Niles, what Dad's trying to say-and badly I might

add-is that we found out that this Mrs. Thompkins who's being treated by you is doing so strictly as a fraud."

"Frasier, what are you saying? I would never take on a patient who-."

"She's very clever Niles. She planned this whole thing." Frasier said.

"She's been wanted by the police, along with her accomplice. They're notorious for posing as patients in order to gain access to prescription

medications." Martin explained.

"And when you told her that you couldn't prescribe any more drugs, she... well..."

"Asked me to meet her in Pioneer Square." Niles finished.

"If Daphne hadn't gone to that warehouse..." Frasier continued.

"It'd be you in that hospital bed instead of Daphne." Martin finished. "She saved your life, Niles."


	15. Chapter 15

Niles was stunned beyond belief. It all made sense now... Daphne taking the file, pleading with him not to go meet his patient, Mrs. Thompkins' drastic mood swings...

_Dear God..._

He swallowed hard, suddenly aware of how dry his throat was. He could feel his entire body trembling as the realization set in. Daphne had been telling the truth. She

must have had a vision about the meeting; there was no other way she could have known about the warehouse.

He rose from the chair, his chest tight when suddenly it was impossible to breathe. He began to stagger around the hallway clutching his chest in pain.

"Niles! What's wrong?" Martin yelled.

"I... c...can't... b-breathe..." Niles said, gasping for air.

Niles, calm down!" Frasier said, rushing to his side. He sat Niles down in the chair and pushed him foreword. "Just relax..." he said.

After a few minutes, Niles began to breathe deeply; his bout of hyperventilation passed.

"I-I can't believe it..." He said when a long silence had passed.

"I... doubted the only woman I've ever truly loved. How could I have been so stupid? I left her. She was terrified and I left her alone. How can I... How can I even begin

to ask for her forgiveness? Not that she'd give it to me anyway, not after the way I treated her. I know I'll never be able to forgive myself!"

"Come on, Son. You know Daphne loves you. She's crazy about you." Martin said. "Why don't you go in there and talk to her? After all... she risked her life

for you."

"Thanks." Niles said, hugging his father and brother, before returning to Daphne. When he reached her room, he was heartbroken to find his beautiful

goddess sobbing.

"Daphne..." He said rushing toward her. "Oh Sweetheart, please don't cry." He said gently. He climbed onto the bed next to her and took her in his arms.

"Why are you crying, my love?"

"Oh Niles... I'm so sorry." She sobbed against his chest. He sighed and leaned his cheek against hers. "Please don't blame yourself. You didn't do anything

wrong. If anyone should be sorry, it's me."

She pulled away and looked at him in confusion. "Why would you be appologizin' to me?"

"Because..." he said bringing her hand to his lips. "I've been horrible Daphne. I... accused you of lying; insulted your character and I left you alone. You have

no idea how frightened I was when I couldn't find you. I was beside myself with worry, afraid that I'd lost you forever. And then when we found you in

that warehouse... Why, I just..."

"But it was me own bloody fault! If I hadn't been so-."

"Brave." Niles finished.

But Daphne shook her head. "No, Definitely not brave. Stupid is more like it."

"You must have been terrified being all alone in Pioneer Square and I can't even imagine what those horrible people did to you-."

"I-I had to go... I couldn't let anything happen to you." Daphne said.

"I can't believe you risked your life to save me. No one has ever done that for me before and I certainly don't deserve it."

"Of course you do." She said kissing him tenderly. "You've saved me own life more times than you'll ever realize."

"I love you, Daphne." He said pulling her toward him for a passionate kiss.

Suddenly he moved away and gasped in horror.

"What's wrong? Why'd you stop?" she asked.

"I don't want to hurt you. I mean... your bruises..."

Daphne smiled and pulled him closer; her hand on his cheek. "What bruises?" She asked, kissing him until they were breathless.

**The End**


End file.
